Counterbalancing attachment for wheels



April 1/951 R. c. MCCROREY 2,548,842

C OUNTERBALANCING ATTACHMENT FOR WHEELS Filed Aug. 23, 1949 J/forneyPatented Apr. 10, 1951 COUN TERBALAN CIN G ATTACHBIENT FOR WHEELS RobertC. McCrorey, Peoria, 111. Application August 23, 1949, Serial No.111,805

12 Claims. 1

Various types of counter balancing devices, adapted to be attached tothe rims of rubber tired wheels, are at present in use. In all of thesedevices, as far as I am aware, the weight membar has rigidly anchoredthereto a spring clip that slips over the upper side of the rim flange,while the weight or body member is placed against the outer andpartially overhanging side of the flange. These devices are reasonablysatisfactory for use on older styles of rims that are provided withflanges which flare upwardly and outwardly in gentle curves. However, inmore recent types of rims the flanges curve outwardly and thendownwardly, their angular lengths being greater than is the case witholder rims, and the radius of curvature being much shorter.Consequently, when one of the aforesaid older counter balancing devicesis attached to one of these newer types of rims, the spring clips arestressed and distorted to a much greater extent than was ever intendedor is at all desirable. This stressing may easily exceed the elasticlimits of the spring clips, so that the clips are permanently damagedand will not effectively hold the weights in place.

The object of the present invention is to produce a simple and novelconstruction that makes it possible to attach a counter balancing deviceto any wheel rim, particularly of the aforesaid newer types, withoutstressing any part to a degree that could cause the slightest damage.

In carrying out my invention I make use of a latch rather than a springclip, the latch being hinged to the weight member and having a wingwhose nose rides on top of the flange when the gate-like latch is swungup while the weight is nested underneath the curved flange. The wing isshaped to follow the contour of the top surface of the flange withoutbeing under heavy stress; the latching action being attained by causingthe nose of the latch to ride uphill and then downhill as the latch wingmoves across the flange into the latching position. Before the devicecan be unlatched, the nose must ride uphill again, something it will notdo of its own accord in normal use.

Further objects of the present invention are to provide simple and novelmeans for effectively coupling the gate-like latch to the weight memher,to insure a continuous, snug fit of the weight member against the rimside and the overhanging rim flange, and to make unlatching of thedevice simple and easy.

, The various features of novelty whereby the vpresent invention ischaracterized will hereinafter be pointed outwith particularity in theclaims, but, for a full understanding of the invention and of itsobjects and advantages, reference may be had to the following detaileddescription taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a view of the outer or front side of a counter balancingdevice embodying my invention in a preferred form; Fig. 2 is a view ofthe inner or rear side of the device; Fig. 3 isa top plan view, on alarger scale, of the device applied to a wheel rim, only a fragment ofeach being shown; Fig. 4 is a section on line 44 ofFig. 3 showing, inad'- dition, a fragment of a tire mounted on the rim, and the latchshown in broken lines in the open position; Fig. 5 is a section on thesame plane as Fig. 4, showing only fragments of the rim and latch; Fig.6 is a perspective view of the plate, before being castinto the weightmember, to which the latch is hinged; Fig. 7 is a perspective view ofthe latch, before it is attached to the supporting plate; and Fig. 8 isa perspective view of a T-shaped rivet that holds the latch to thesupporting plate.

In the drawings I have illustrated only a single preferred form of mynew device and, for the sake of brevity, only this form will bedescribed in detail although, obviously, the invention is not restrictedto these details.

Referring to the drawing, A is a wheel rim having an almost verticalside web B which is curved upwardly and outwardly and then downwardly,at the top, to create a flange C in the form of an inverted trough. D isa side wall of a tire casing fitted into the rim, only a fragment beingshown.

The counter balancing weight I is an elongated, thick member shaped tolie flat against the outer face of web element B of the rim and conformto the under surface of the flange (3'. Therefore, what may be termedthe top of the weight is curved in two directions, circumferentially ofthe wheel and in the transverse direction. The weight is preferablyabout uniform in width so that, viewed from the side, it has an arcuateshape.

The weight is provided with a gate-like latch device 2, made of aresilient steel plate, out and formed'to provide a flat lower part 3,merging at the top into an inwardly extending wing 4; the wing beingcurved so that its under surface is complementary to the top surface ofrim flange C, and terminating in a nose 5 at its free, inner end. Thelatch is hinged at its lower end to the weight member, midway betweenthe ends of the latter, so as to swing about an axis at right angles toa radius of the wheel that bisects the weight memher after the latter isattached to the wheel rim.

When the weight member is made as a soft metal casting, which is usuallythe case, I prefer to cast into the same a steel plate 6 to which thelatch is hinged; thus providing a better connection between the weightand latch than would be possible through hinging the latch directly tothe weight member. In the arrangement shown, a large portion is cut awayfrom the upper half of an originally flat plate to leave two strips orfingers 1 and 8 at the two ends, respectively, together with a partiallysevered lip sspannin the distance between the lower ends of thefingers.A somewhat shorter lip i ispartially severed from the plate by cuttingupwardly into the *more secure, I prefer that, in order to unlatch,the-latch must be stressed beyond what may be same through the loweredge,,,The; fingersare bent laterally to form them into hooks thatembrace the marginal portion of the rim' fian'ge -to provide a partialsupport for the weight as soon as thelatter 1 is inserted beneath theflange. -"Lips 9 and I0 are bent laterally in the opposite directionfrom that in which the hooks face, to -form-an elongated semicylindricalbearing or seat.

a The width of the plate from'which the latch 'is 'ma'de'is onlyslightly less than the distance between hooked fingers I and 8, so thatthe latch "may be moved into the space between these fingersJThemarginal portion of the latch, along the-lower edge, is deformed tocreate a semicylin- 'drical'bead I-l', that protrudes from the innerside of the latch, beneath the wing portion. bead constitutes aiournaladapted to be seated in 'the semicylindrical bearing seat on plate 6;

This

thereby permitting the latch to' be placed in hinged relation tothe"p1ate,'so' that the wing portion can be swung in and out through thespace between th'e'fingers on plate 6.

v 'The journal H may be held in its bearing in anysuitable way. 'In thearrangement shown,

plate '6 contains around hole 12 at the center of the seat or bearing,while the bead or journal portion of the latch contains a'hole l3 thatregisters with hole I). when'the plate and latch are assembled. Hole I3is elongated in the vertical direction; A rivet or the like, extendingthrough both holes and fixed relatively to plate 6, while loose in theelongated hole, will serve to maintain the'connection between that plateand the'latch, while allowing the latch to swing up and down. -111 thearrangement shown, there is a rivet X4 in the form of a T, the stem 15passing through'both holes and the cross member l6 fitting in the troughof the bead on the latch.

In manufacturing the device, plate 6 is cast "into the weight member,the latter being formed with a passage Ilin' registration with hole 12,extending through the same from front to rear. What may be termed thebody portion of the device has now been completed, and the latch may beadded and'the rivet inserted; the stem of the rivet extending into orthrough passage H.

The stem of the rivet issplit, lengthwise, at its freeend, [8 indicatingthe location and extent thereof. 'After the three separate pieces havethus been assembled,'the divided end of the rivet proper is spread by'means of any suitable wedging or expanding device; thereby effectivelysecuring the latch to'the weight member.

When applying my'improved' device to a wheel rim, the weightmember isset'undenthe overhanging flange and against the sidewall of'the rim,with the'hooked fingersloosely' embracing the rim edge andnotinte'rfering. with the proper seating of said member; the latch beingat this anoving across the top of the flange, the stress increasingdu1-ingthe first part of such move- -"ment and thereafter graduallydecreasing. Then,

because the latch wing cannot simply slide off the flange, but must befurther stressed before it can come free, the danger of accidentalunlatching due to vibration, for example, is eliminated. Oneadvantageous result of this construction is that no reliance need beplaced on the tirecasing for holding the-device in place.

The variation in the degree of stressing of the latch is showndiagrammatically in Fig. 5, where broken line it indicates the path thatwould be taken by the nose of the latch inmoving between the twopositions illustrated in Fig. 4 without change in the stress. Theuppersurface of the flange, however, gradually rises above this line and thenslopes down, placing a hill or hump in the path of the nose whenever itmoves from either of such extremepositions to the other.

.In order to, permit unl'atching to be accomplished easily, the .metalof the latch wing is struck up to form a lug 28 to provide asquareshoulder spacedapart from and facing the tire casing. One need onlypress outwardagainst this shoulder to force the latch off the rimflange.

So far as the compound curvature of the weight member and thelug bymeans of which the latch may be drawn into release position areconcerned,

the present application is a continuation of my prio applicationentitled Spring Clips for \Nheel .Balancing Weights, Ser. No.705,758-,-filed October 25, 1946, now abandoned.

I claim: V

' 1. A wheel balancing device for attachmentto rims provided withflanges thatcurve outwardly and downwardly comprising a weight membershaped tofit underneath such a flange, and a resilient latch hinged atits lower end to the outer side and at a considerable distance below thetop of the said 7 weight member for free 'swinging movements and shapedtosnap over the-top of said' flangewhen the latch is swung-up andpressed inwardly while the; weight" member is in place under saidflange; the latch being the sole fastening means between the weightmember and the rim to which the latter is attached.

2. A wheel balancing device for attachment to rims provided with flangesthat curve outwardly and downwardly, comprising a--weightmember shapedto fit underneath such a flange, and a resilientlatch hinged at itslower-end to'the outer side of said weight memben'at'about thelongitudinal center of the latterfor free-swinging movements, and havinga wingshaped to ride over the'top of" and grip'said flange'when' thelatch is swung up and pressed inwardly while the wveight 'member'isinplace under said flange.

3. A wheel balancing device for attachment to rims provided with flangesthat curve outwardly and downwardly, comprising a weight member shapedto fit underneath such a flange, a resilient latch hinged at its lowerend to the outer side of said weight member and having a wing shaped tosnap over the top of said flange when the latch is swung up and pressedinwardly while the weight member is in place under said flange, saidwing having a shoulder rising therefrom in position to face a tire onthe rim when the latch is in latching position.

4. A wheel balancing device for attachment to rims provided with flangesthat curve outwardly and downwardly, comprising a weight member shapedto fit snugly underneath such a flange, and a latch of resilientmaterial hinged at its lower end to the outer side of the weight memberand provided with an inwardly extending wing, adapted to overlie such aflange, said wing terminating in a nose adapted to ride on top of theflange when the latch is swung up while the weight member is in placeunderneath the flange; and the weight member being so curvedtransversely on the upper side that the latter is farther from the hingeaxis at the middle than at the inner and outer sides, whereby nose ridesuphill to stress the latch, and then downhill to relieve some of thestress, during the movement of the latch into latching position.

5. A wheel balancing device for attachment to a rim provided with aflange that curves outwardly, comprising a weight member shaped to fitunderneath such flange, a resilient latch hinged at its lower end to theouter side of the said member and having a wing to overlie the flangebeneath which said member is positioned, and a shoulder projectingoutwardly from said wing at a point that is remote from a tire on therim when the latch is in latching position.

6. A wheel balancing device for attachment to rims provided with flangesthat curve outwardly and downwardly, comprising an elongated weightmember shaped to fit the curvature of such a flange, both transverselyand circumferentially, when placed underneath and in contact with thesame, a resilient latch hinged at one end to the outer side of saidweight member and provided with a wing that fits the top of the flangewhen the latch is swung up, the combined inner surfaces of the mainportion of the latch and the wing being similar in contour to that partof the flange surface upon which the wing is to lie and that part of theouter face of the weight member between the hinge and the top of saidmember, except that there is sufficient difference in size to cause thelatch to grip the flange tightly when the latch is swung up and the wingforced across the flange.

7. A wheel balancing device for attachment to a rim provided with aflange that curves outwardly comprising a weight member shaped to fitunderneath such flange, a resilient latch hinged at its lower end to theouter side of the said member and having a wing to overlie the flangeafter said member is positioned beneath the latter and hook elements onsaid member in position to embrace the edge of the flange when theweight is in place and to lie adjacent to the side edges of the wing,when the latch is swung into latching position.

8. A wheel balancing device for attachment to rims provided with flangesthat curve outwardly, comprising a weight member in the form of a softmetal casting shaped to flt underneath such a flange, a plate cast intosaid member, a resilientlatch, said plate and said latch having thereoncooperating bearing elements to form a hinge joint to permit the latchtobe swung up over a rim flange underneath which the weight member lies,and said plate having at the top fingers in position to lie beside thelong edges of the latch when the latter is up.

9. A wheel balancing device for attachment to rims provided with flangesthat curve outwardly, comprising a weight member in the form of a softmetal casting shaped to fit underneath such a flange, a plate cast intosaid member, a resilient latch, said plate and said latch having thereoncooperating bearing elements to form a hinge joint to permit the latchto be swung up over a rim flange underneath which the weight memberlies, and hook-like fingers formed on the upper end of said plate andprojecting above the weight member on opposite sides of the latch toembrace the margin of the rim flange.

10. A wheel balancing device for attachment on a rim provided with aflange that curves outwardly, comprising a weight member in the form ofa soft metal casting, shaped to fit under such a flange, a plate castinto said member and having a trough-shaped bearing exposed on the outerside of the latter, a resilient latch having along its lower edge a beadfitting rotatably in said bearing and having at its upper end a wingadapted to overlie the rim flange to hold the weight member in place.

11. A wheel balancing device for attachment to a rim provided with aflange that curves outwardly, comprising a weight member in the form ofa soft metal casting shaped to fit under such a flange, a, plate castinto said member and having a trough-shaped bearing exposed on the outerside of the latter, a resilient latch having along its lower edge atrough-shaped bead fitting rotatably in said bearing and having at itsupper end a wing adapted to overlie the rim flange to hold the weightmember in place, a fastening element passing through the bead and intothe bearing, and the opening in the bead through which the fasteningpasses being in the form of a slot to allow the latch to swing up anddown.

12. A device as set forth in claim 11, wherein the fastening element isa rivet having a head in the form of a shaft fitting in the trough ofthe bead on the latch.

ROBERT C. MoCROREY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS France Nov. 24, 1933

